The Land of Strong Men

by A. M. Chisholm

  CHAPTER XII

  THE RACE

  Mr. Braden regarded Angus Mackay severely across his desk. "Tut, tut,tut!" he said. "A very bad business, indeed. Bad company. Evilcommunications, horse racing, gambling. Very bad!"

  "But all I did was to hold the stakes," Angus protested.

  "That was just what you didn't do," Mr. Braden pointed out. "It is alarge sum."

  "I know that, but I have to have it. I am good for the money. Chetwoodoffered to lend it to me or endorse my note, but----"

  "Chetwood, hey?" said Mr. Braden with sudden interest. "Why should he dothat?"

  "No reason at all. That's why I wouldn't let him."

  "Do you know what he is going to do in this country?"

  "He spoke of ranching."

  "Ha!" said Mr. Braden. "Has he bought any land yet?"

  "I don't think so."

  "He should be careful," said Mr. Braden. "He should go to some reliableperson. Too many irresponsible dealers. He might get--er--stung. I havesome very attractive propositions. Did he mention any amount that he wasprepared to invest?"

  "No. He's going to look around before he buys."

  "Glad to show him around," said Mr. Braden heartily. "Bring him to me,Angus, and he won't regret it. Neither--er--neither will you."

  "How about lending me this money?" Angus asked.

  "Oh--ah--yes, the money. H'm. Well, under the circumstances I willadvance it on your note. Not business, but to help _you_ out----Well,don't forget about Chetwood. Bring him in. He might get into wronghands, you know. Bring him in, my boy, and you won't regret it."

  With the settlement of the money question Angus was greatly relieved. Hewas saddled with an additional debt, but at least he was in a positionto pay the winner, which as he looked at it was the main thing.

  With Jean he went out to the track early in the afternoon. Here andthere in the crowd he noted the tall figures of the French brothers.Apparently, they were still taking all the money they could get. Ontheir way to the stand to secure seats, they came upon Chetwood, who waseying the motley crowd whose costumes ranged from blankets to BondStreet coats, with pure delight. But being introduced to Jean, the youngEnglishman lost all interest in the crowd, and accompanied them.Kathleen French waved greeting to them, and they found seats beside her.It appeared that she had met Chetwood.

  "Well, Angus, do you want any Flambeau money?" she laughed.

  "I wouldn't bet much, if I were you," he advised her seriously.

  "I will bet every dollar I can. That's what the boys are doing, andthey're good judges of a horse."

  "I think Dorgan is a better one."

  "What does he know about Flambeau?" she asked.

  "He seems to be satisfied with knowing Chief."

  A little line came between Kathleen's eyes, but she shook her head."Flambeau carries all the money we can get up."

  Angus having given her his advice said no more, and went to have a finallook at Chief.

  "I've had Dave bet my roll for me," Dorgan told him. "I ain't a regularrider no more, and I need the money. Barring accidents, Chief winshandy."

  "The Frenches are just as sure of Flambeau."

  "Yeh," Dorgan replied calmly. "I just seen the boy burglar that's ridin'for 'em. There's tracks he couldn't work on, but I ain't makin' no kick.If he puts anything over on me, it'll be new stuff. But I guess theyfigure they got the race won in the stable."

  When Flambeau came on the track, Angus admitted to himself that hejustified Kathleen's confidence. Knowing quite well what he had to do,the horse was eager. Up on his withers crouched a hard-faced boy inmaroon and silver, who eyed the other horses and riders with coolcontempt.

  But Chief was being led through the gate, and up on his back flashedDorgan's old black-and-yellow silk. The big horse stepped forward,looking at track and crowd with surprised and inquiring but quite calmeyes. Dorgan patted his neck and spoke to him, and he came past thestand in the long, singing, stretching canter which was deceptive by itsvery ease. Angus looked at Kathleen.

  "He's a grand horse!" she admitted, and once more the little line laybetween her eyes.

  It became evident at the start that it was a fight between Dorgan andFrench's boy. Neither would concede the slightest advantage. Both werewarned. As they wheeled back, after half a dozen abortive starts,French's boy was spitting insults from the corner of his mouth, and oldDorgan was grinning at him. Side by side, watching each other likeboxers, they wheeled and came down on the line. Crouched, arms extended,the harried starter caught the bunch fair at last.

  "G'wan!" he yelled as his flag swept. "G'wan outa here!" And the dust ofthe flurrying hoofs hid him.

  At the turn Flambeau was running third, and slightly behind and a littlewide and thus out of a possible danger zone, was the black and yellow.But in the stretch on the first round Flambeau had drawn level with theleading horse. As they swept past the stand, Chief, still behind andwell out, was running like a machine. Dorgan turned his face, twisted ina grin, up to the stand.

  "By George, the old boy thinks he has the race on toast!" Chetwoodexclaimed.

  "He can't catch Flambeau now!" Kathleen asserted.

  But to Angus came the recollection of a piece of the old jockey'swisdom.

  "Not every jock that knows pace is a good jock," he had said; "but nojock is a good jock that don't. If you know pace and know you're makin'the time, you don't need to worry. Your leaders will come back to you. Inever was no star rider, but pace is one thing I do know."

  At the turn it was plainly a fight between the two horses. Angus sawFrench's boy turn his head, and then sit down to ride. Dorgan wasmotionless, lying flat, but the gap began to close. Angus glanced atKathleen. She was leaning forward, tense, eager, her lips drawnstraight, the color pinched from them. When he looked at the horsesagain Chief's head was lapping Flambeau. French's boy went to his bat.It rose and fell. At the same moment Dorgan seemed to sink into andbecome part of his horse's neck.

  For an instant they seemed to be running together. Then steadily,surely, inch by inch the black and yellow crept past the maroon andsilver, and the chestnut head appeared in front of the bay. Into thestretch they came, French's boy riding it out and fighting it out to thelast inch with Flambeau game to the core under terrific punishment. Butas they thundered past the stand Dorgan, his ear hugging Chief's neck,was looking back beneath his arm, and there was clear daylight betweenthe horses.

  Once more Angus glanced at Kathleen. She smiled as she met his eye.

  "Well, you were right," she said.

  "I hope you didn't lose much."

  "We--I lost--plenty, thanks. Anyway, I'm proud of Flambeau. He wasoutrun, but he ran game to the last foot."

  With Chetwood, Angus went to see Dorgan. On the way they came upon Gavinand Gerald French. The latter was tearing up a bunch of tickets. Atsight of them he laughed, tossing the fragments aloft.

  "Good paper--once," he observed. "Give you a check to-night, Chetwood."

  "Give you mine, too," said Gavin, lighting his pipe. "Good race, wasn'tit?"

  "Rippin'," Chetwood agreed. "No hurry about settlements, you know."

  "Oh, we may as well clean up," Gerald returned carelessly. "See youlater."

  "So you did bet," Angus observed to his companion as they moved on.

  "I told you it was a sound scheme to get back what you lost. I was jollyright, too. The money is quite at your service if you need it."

  "I've raised the money, thanks all the same."

  "In the quaint idiom of the country, far be it from me to horn in, butif I'm not impertinent, how did you do it?"

  "Borrowed it on my note."

  "Oh, my sacred aunt!" Chetwood groaned. "Now listen to reason, old chap.Here's this money, just the same as if I'd found what you lost. Take itand----"

  "Cut it out!" Angus interrupted. "That doesn't go."

  "What an obstinate beggar you are!" Chetwood observed in disappointment."Well, we'll say no more about it, then. Do you know, I fancy
theFrenches have come rather a cropper to-day. Of course, I don't knowanything of their finances, but they were doing some dashed heavybetting. I fancied Miss French was hard hit."

  "So did I," Angus agreed.

  "Stood up to it like a major," Chetwood nodded. "Like to see 'em game."

  They found Dorgan and Rennie rubbing and sponging the big horse, fussingover him like two hens with one chick.

  "Well, I win me a whole barrel of kale," Dorgan chuckled. "I'll bet themFrenches will find her a hard winter unless they're well fixed." He eyedthe big chestnut contemplatively for a moment. "And yet, mind you, heain't a racin' horse," he said, "and don't you never fool yourself thathe is. He can run now, and he'll always run as long as an eight-dayclock, because he's got the works. But he's a weight carrier, that'swhat he is. He's a white man's horse, and I hate like poison to see himgo back to them Lo's. Why don't you buy him? He'd carry your weight, andyou'd be ridin' a real horse."

  "I haven't the money," Angus replied regretfully, for in his heart hehad coveted Chief from the time he had first mounted him.

  Later, when he had handed over his winnings to Paul Sam, Angus drovehomeward with Jean. The day had been fine, but in the west a blue-blacksky, tinged with copper, bore promise of storm. He sent the team alongat a lively clip to reach home before it should break.

  He reflected that it had been a most expensive race for him. He did notknow when he would be able to repay the money he had borrowed. But hiscrops were looking well, and his grain was almost ready to cut. His haywas already in. This year he could pay interest on Braden's mortgage.Jean would require more money. She was going to take a special,qualifying course, after which she would be able to teach. But he ratherhoped she would not. Undoubtedly, she livened up the ranch.

  Recently Jean had developed. She had grown not only physically butmentally. She was, Angus realized, a young woman. He had heard Chetwoodask permission to call at the ranch.

  "How do you like this Chetwood?" he asked.

  "Where did you meet him?" Miss Jean countered.

  "With a couple of the French boys."

  "Oh," said Miss Jean, who was under no delusions as to the boysaforesaid, "then he's apt to need his remittances."

  "He seems a decent chap," her brother observed.

  "He may be," Miss Jean returned nonchalantly, "but I'm not strong forthese remittance men."

  But the black cloud was mounting higher and higher. A gust of cold windstruck their faces. The dust of the trail rose in clouds, and behind itthey heard the roar of the wind. Beyond that again, as they topped arise and obtained a view, a gray veil, dense, opaque, seemed to havebeen let down.

  "I'm afraid we can't make the ranch without a wetting," Angus said.

  "And my best duds, too!" Jean groaned.

  A quarter of a mile ahead there was the wreck of an abandoned shackwhich might suffice to keep Jean dry, and Angus sent his team into theircollars; but they had not covered half the distance when with a hissingrush the gray barrier was upon them. And it was not rain, but hail!

  The stones varied in size from that of buckshot to robin's eggs. Underthe bombardment the dust puffed from the trail. The horses leaped andswerved at the pelting punishment, refusing to face it.

  "Throw the lap-robe over your head," Angus told Jean, and thereafter wasoccupied exclusively with his team.

  The colts swung around, cramping the wheel, almost upsetting the rig.Angus avoided a capsize by a liberal use of the whip, but with thepunishment and the sting and batter of the icy pellets the animals werefrantic. They began to run.

  Not being able to help it, Angus let them go, having confidence in hisharness and rig. Just there the road was good, without steep grades orsharp turns. He let them run for half a mile under a steady pull, andthen after reminding them of their duty by the whip, he began to sawthem down. Inside a few hundred yards he had them under control, andpulled them, quivering and all a-jump, under the shelter of two giant,bushy firs.

  There Jean, peeping from beneath the robe, saw her brother by the colts'heads.

  "Thanks for the ride!" she observed with mild sarcasm. Angus stiffenedarm and body against a sudden lunge.

  "Stand still, you!" he commanded, "or I'll club you till you'll be gladto!" And to Jean: "They wouldn't face it, and I don't blame them. Ithought we were over once."

  "Some hail!" Jean commented. "I never saw anything like it."

  But already the storm was passing. Came a tail-end spatter of rain, andthe sky began to clear. But as he wheeled his team out from shelterAngus' face was very grave, and a sudden thought struck his sister.

  "Why," she exclaimed, her brown eyes opening wide, "do you suppose thathail struck the ranch?"

  "I don't know," he replied, "but if it did, there won't be any threshingthis year. It was bad."

  As they drove on there was evidence of that. The grass was beaten flat,bushes were stripped of leaves. They passed the body of a young grousewhich, caught in the open and confused, had been pelted to death. It waswithout doubt very bad hail.

  When they came in sight of the ranch, Jean, unable to restrain herimpatience, rose to her feet and, holding her brother's shoulder, took along look. He felt her hand tighten, gripping him hard. Then she droppedback into the seat beside him.

  "It--it hit us!" she said.

  In a few moments Angus could see for himself. The fields of grain which,as they had driven away that morning, had rippled in the fresh wind,nodding full, heavy heads to the blue sky, were beaten flat. The headsthemselves were threshed by the icy flail of the storm. He knew as helooked at the flattened ruin that there would be no threshing. He was"hailed out"!

  Though the event assumed the proportions of a disaster, Angus said not aword. His black brows drew down and his mouth set hard. That was all. Hefelt Jean's arm go beneath his and press it.

  "I'm sorry, old boy!" she said. "We needed the money, didn't we!"

  "Yes," he replied.

  "Oh, well, it can't be helped," she said. "I'll stay home this winter,of course. I can do that much to help, anyway."

  "You will do nothing of the sort," her brother declared.

  "But----"

  "I will find the money. You will finish what you have begun, and that isall there is to it."

  "I won't----"

  "You _will_!" Angus said in a voice his sister had never heard before."I say you will. You have a right to your education, and you shall haveit. If I cannot give it to you, I am no man at all!"